Overwatch: Christmas Tales
by SuperJedders
Summary: A selection of short tales focused around Christmas with Overwatch Heros. Each Chapter is a different story - the first two focus around Jesse and Pharah.
1. To New Beginnings

**To New Beginnings:** _Set prior to when Overwatch disbanded. On a quiet Christmas at Overwatch HQ, Jesse McCree has an unexpected visitor on Christmas day._

* * *

The wind outside the Swiss Overwatch Headquarters' whistled as it swept up already fallen snow and added to the flurry that was quickly surrounding the base. Icicles hug from disabled training bots and old targets, with usually busy parts of the base unusually quiet as many agents had headed home for the holidays despite the sub-zero temperatures.

McCree awoke with a pained gasp, writhing in his bed as a sweat soaked his body and his teeth ground together. His right arm crossed his body, grasping at the stump of what remained of his left arm before slowly the pain subsided and he was able to relax slightly. Brown hues stared up at the ceiling, lacking their usual glint as he imagined wiggling the fingers on his left hand, sighing softly before sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of his bed, bare feet flinching briefly as they touched the cold floor. He leaned forward, right arm resting on his knee, hand rubbing the significant amount of scruff that had spread over his jawline and down his neck.

His gaze eventually drifted to the calendar on the desk in the corner, December 25th circled and underlined repeatedly by Lena a few weeks ago, and instead of elation at the time of year all he felt was emptiness. **"Merry fucking Christmas…"** he muttered, getting to his feet and shuffling to the bathroom. He took a leak, brushed his teeth and showered before staring at his reflection in the mirror, right hand wiping away the condensation and his eyes widening slightly at the scruffy, unkempt cowboy that looked back at him. Since the incident, a few months ago, that cost him an arm, he hadn't shown much interest in anything, let alone personal care but today he was actually bothered enough to shave and while doing the task with his weaker hand was a challenge he was soon looking more like himself. Content for now the cowboy donned his hat, loosely tossed a scarf around his neck and struggled into his jacket before stepping out to wander the base.

He balanced the cigarillo awkwardly between his teeth, right hand fumbling with the lighter, left sleeve flapping uselessly in the breeze. Again, the wind snuffed out the flame before he could get the dam thing to light and in anger he tossed the lighter, watching it ricochet off the wall and land in the snow, his gaze turning back to the snow-covered hills that covered the outskirts of the headquarters, his face settling into a frown as snow gently began to settle on his hat and shoulders.

 **"I'm pretty sure throwing the lighter won't help"** the gentle voice of Fareeha Amari grabbed his attention, Jesse turning to see the young woman bend down to pick up the lighter with a gentle smile. He watched her silently as she approached him, dressed in blue jeans, a thick purple coat and a scarf.

 **"Here, let me…"** she said, gently cupping the lighter and igniting it, watching as Jesse plucked his cigarillo and lit it on the flame, drawing deeply on it before exhaling the smoke skywards.

 **"Thank ye' kindly…."** He slurred, putting the cigarillo back between his teeth and retrieving his lighter from her. **"Didn't expect to see ya' here for the holidays…what with everythin' that-"** he let the words fall silent, meeting her saddened expression.

Ana Amari had been lost on a mission not too long after he had lost his arm. Loosing such a well-loved member of the team had led to dark times for Overwatch,a combined sense of loss and mourning had settled quickly amongst the agents while Fareeha lost herself in work back home in Egypt.

Drawing another breath, he allowed the smoke escaped his nose, Jesse scratching the back of his neck before glancing away, tapping ash from the end of his cigarillo.

 **"Listen Darlin' I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened, I should'av been on that mission with her and I-"**

He stopped, Fareeha shaking her head at him before smiling gently.

 **"You have nothing to apologise for Jesse. My mother was strong, and she died doing the thing she loved most in the world. Besides, after…"** she gestured to the cowboys left arm, watching him flinch briefly **"…after that, all my mother wanted was for you to get back on the horse. She would often say how worried she was about you, and with it being Christmas…It was about time I came back for a visit."**

White snowflakes had settled in her dark hair, the mark under her eye a strong contrast against the wintery background as she glanced to the building behind her. **"We should head inside, it's far too cold out here for my liking"**

Jesse let his brow furrow in thought, right arm subtly rubbing at his left. She'd come back to make sure he hadn't fallen off the wagon. In all honesty, he had gotten pretty close a few weeks back, but seeing Fareeha doing well, gave him hope. He nodded, flicking his cigarillo to the floor and gently crushing it beneath his boot.

 **"Sure thing, it's colder than a witch's tit out here…"** the chuckle that escaped the young Amari drew a smile to his tired features before fell instep beside her.

They walked back into the base and through to the Living area where a large tree decorated with a vast array of coloured baubles, ribbons and tinsel stood surrounded by a bundle of presents, the wrapping paper sparkling slightly beneath the twinkle of the tree lights.

 **"I always loved this tree as a little girl, writing my list beneath the glow of the lights, placing the star on top while sitting on Reinhardt's shoulders, the year Torbjörn tried to replace the lights with his own invention and nearly burnt it down…"** Fareeha laughed, gently folding her arms, head tilting to one side as she lost herself in the memories.

Jesse adjusted his hat, brown hues taking in the tree in all its magnificence. He remembered everything Fareeha had described, right down to hastily extinguishing the burning Christmas tree lights Torbjörn had tried to upgrade one year. He chuckled himself, caught off guard before clearing his throat and scratching his jawline, feeling eyes on him.

 **"Jesse…"** Fareeha turned to face him sternly, the cowboy meeting her gaze, surprised how the look in her eyes reflected her mothers.

 **"I know what you are going through is tough, but you should not let it define you. Mother always told me; to let the fear of the past define you is to rob yourself of a future. I never really understood what she meant until I lost her, I can't let her loss prevent me from following my dreams, just like you can't allow your loss to stop you chasing yours."**

Jesse let a smirk tug at the corner of his lip

" **You know, you sound jus' like yer' mother…"** he chuckled as he received a friendly punch to the arm, waving it off. **"Seriously though, thank ye' Darlin'. I hear ya loud and clear. No more moping around for this cowboy…and that's a promise you can hold me to"**

He tipped his hat, watching Fareeha approach the tree and rummage for a while, tugging out a neatly wrapped gift and offering it to the cowboy.

Taking the soft parcel in his hand, he looked at her confused before reading the label, sighing softly at the gentle cursive writing he knew all too well belonged to Ana Amari. It was just like her to be overly prepared.

 ** _Jesse,_**

 ** _If you're going to act like a cowboy you should at least look the part. Wear this and know I'll always watch your back._**

 ** _'Eid Milad Majid' عيد ميلاد مجيد_**

 ** _Captain Ana Amari_**

Struggling to tear the paper, the soft red fabric that escaped the gift caught him off guard, the cowboy allowing the shredded wrapping to fall to the floor as he held up the item. The serape was accented with orange, and if worn correctly would cover his left arm perfectly. He smiled, wrestling it loosely over his head, and shrugging it into position before adjusting his hat and looking to Fareeha who was standing with her arms folded and a smile on her face.

 **"Merry Christmas Jesse…"** she said with a nod.

McCree took another look at the serape and tipped his hat.

 **"And a Merry Christmas to you as well darlin'. Now whaddya' say we go raise a toast to old friends and family eh?"**

Fareeha nodded **"I think that would be perfect"** she said before falling instep beside the cowboy and walking with him to the kitchen.

As the pair raised a glass in memory of lost loved ones, the snow outside still fell and yet for the first time in a few months there was not a sense of loss or mourning, but instead, unity, strength and fondness.

 **"To new beginnings..."** Jesse said with a smile, glasses clinking together before he knocked back his drink, Fareeha doing the same.

If only he had known what was yet to come...


	2. Temple of Festivities

_**Temple of Festivities :** Held up on a solo mission, Jesse is faced with spending the Christmas season alone with a cup of coffee and poor comms signal. But when a mysterious assailant infiltrates his hideout, it looks as though christmas won't be as lonely as he first thought._

* * *

 **"It's a shame you can't join us for Christmas Jesse. It would have been great to have the whole gang back together"**

Lena's voice was a little crackly over the comms device, the image on the screen fragmenting at times due to poor signal. Despite it all though, there was no mistaking the reindeer antlers that adorned her head, tangled with battery powered Christmas lights. She grinned, shifting slightly when a hand planted itself on her shoulder in order to allow more people to fit into the frame of the video call. The camera shook wildly, allowing some of the Christmas music playing in the background to strangle its way through the video call, echoing around the small hideout Jesse had spent the past week residing in.

The Egyptian sun had already tanned the gunslingers face and burnt the back of his neck despite it being winter. Winston had deployed him to Giza in Egypt nearly two weeks prior for a scouting mission after some hints surfaced regarding suspicious Talon activity. Unfortunately, the terrorist organisation appeared to be playing their cards excruciatingly slow so Jesse had been forced to stay put for longer than expected, forgoing the festivities occurring back in Gibraltar. Sat on the floor, the cowboy adjusted his position slightly, stretching out his legs and resting his back fully against the stone wall behind him, an amused smile tugging the corner of his lip as he watched the group at the end of the video call shuffle and reorganise so they could see and hear properly.

The dim glow from the screen cast heavy shadows around the room Jesse had sought to make his temporary home. From what he could ascertain, it had been an old part of the Anubis Facility prior to Helix's acquisition and this particular sister site was allowed to fall off the radar and left to the elements. Judging by the abandoned technical equipment and lack of home comforts it was most likely an old security office or just an old monitoring station for the AI. However, its position and somewhat invisible status made it perfect for keeping an eye on the Temple housing the God AI without drawing attention from Helix Security Officials that patrolled the area.

 **"There we are, everyone in!** " Lena glanced back over her shoulder, the antlers poking Lucio in the eye.

 **"Woah, rein those in!"** he jested, pushing them away with a smile before learning forward with little mind to the squeak of annoyance from Hana as he squashed her with his movement "You hearing us alright Eastwood?" he asked before a large hand clapped down on his shoulder and hauled him back.

 **"My friends! Let him speak, and lets try not to crush each other in the process"** Reinhardts voice boomed over the others, his large frame nothing but his torso in the image Jesse received, the gunslinger chuckling to himself before speaking up.

 **"Thanks big guy"** his southern drawl grabbed the attention of the agents on the end of the line, gazes turned back to the screen as they abandoned their own sub-conversations **"Yer signal's a bit weak but I can hear and see ya'll well enough."** He took a moment to analyse the various faces staring back at him from the screen; Lena, Lucio, Hana, Angela, Reinhardt, Winston (judging by the large hand resting on Lena's shoulder), Genji, Mei and Zenyatta.

 **"How are you faring Jesse?"** Angela spoke up next, her delicate frame just about present on the far left of the screen. **"Do you have enough supplies? How is your sunburn?"** the concern in her hues drew a shake of the cowboy's head.

 **"Angie quit yer worryin'. I've survived worse heat than this, an' I got plenty of supplies to last me. Why don't ya enjoy the time off?"** the image flickered, fragmenting into a number of pixels before reassembling briefly, voices and responses warbled so heavily Jesse couldn't make out what had been said, let alone who had said it.

 **"Jesse?"** the tone of the Primate told him very quickly that he had missed the initial question or call of his name.

 **"Sorry, signal was on the fritz. Missed what ya said"** he took a moment to tip his hat back slightly, easing the shadows that were casting across his face.

 **"I said-** ** _zzz_** **\- area with-** ** _bzz_** **\- keep an eye out and-** ** _bzz_** **"** Jesse scowled as Winstons voice was butchered by the signal, causing him to tap impatiently on the side of his comms device.

 **"Yer breakin' up, I can't-"** the image froze, Jesse exhaling and looking to the weak signal bar on the side of the screen.

 **"-McC-** ** _zz_** **can you-** ** _bzzz_** **us?"** a number of voices strangled together with feedback and jumps in sentences, the gunslinger shaking his head.

 **"I can't hear a word yer sayin' fellas. Look, jus' enjoy the holidays and be sure to save me some o' Reinhardts Eggnog fer when I get back in a week or so. Aight?"** the garbled noise he assumed was agreement and with that he tipped his hat in farewell. "McCree out" he moved to end the call, catching faint

 **"Merry Christmas!"** cacophony from the call before the room fell silent, then sudden change leaving a brief ringing in his ears. Brown hues cast to his bag of supplies in the corner, mentally counting how many meals and bottles of water he had before he pushed himself to his feet and made his way over to actually count them. More than enough to treat himself to a cup of coffee he realised and with that he set about boiling up some water with the small gas stove he had.

O O O O

The nights in Giza were not unbearable in the winter, with the temperature dropping to around 10 degrees centigrade (50 Fahrenheit), a fire and a jumper was enough to keep him from feeling the cold too much. Sat alone on Christmas eve with his hands wrapped around a mug of instant coffee the only sound he had in the empty room was the occasional beep of Athena's frequent scans designed to monitor the Temple for movement outside that of Helix security. Back at the base Jesse imagined they had spent the day debating what colour decorations the tree should be adorned with, sneakily wrapping up gifts to set under the tree and of course preparing the meal for the following day. His stomach rumbled at the thought of a Christmas dinner, loosing himself to memories of freshly cooked turkey, the taste of the apple pie Ingrid (Torbjs wife) would send and of course, Reinhardt's eggnog, which many referred to as paint stripper due to the Germans overzealous addition of alcohol. In fact, Jesse couldn't recall many others, besides himself, who ever drank more than half a glass of the stuff. The sickly mixture often burning the oesophagus, but causing a warm feeling to blossom from your very core.

O O O O

 _"Agent McCree!"_

Jesse snorted himself awake, surprised to find he had fallen asleep by the fire and Athena had been forced to wake him. Sitting up he rubbed at his eyes to clear the grit and looked towards his comms device in the dock, adrenaline coursing through him at the flashing red screen. Scrambling to his feet he snatched the device free and frantically tapped through the findings, relieved Athena was already relaying the information.

 _"Movement has been detected outside of usual Helix guard patrol paths…"_

Jesse skimmed through the various routes, isolating the one that had gone wayward and froze at the strange beeline it was making towards the very building he was staying in. A cuss escaped his lips before he made a beeline for the fire and kicked sand over it to dim the light, grateful the shattered windows had allowed the sand to fill the building over the years. About to question when the last update to the reading was the thump of someone trying the door the to the building sent a chill through his core, the former Blackwatch agent snatching his hat from the floor and immediately backing up into the shadows of the building.

Crouching down, Jesse tucked his comms device in his pocket and drew his gun from the holster at his side, quietly flicking the barrel out to check it was loaded before letting his hat tilt lower over his features and returning his gun to his side. Athena had already taken the liberty of disabling the screens in the room so whomever was about to enter would find a bag of supplies and the dimming embers of a campfire. Another thump against the door encouraged Jesse to gently shuffle back more into the corner, brown hues fixed forward, listening to the door, grateful for the buildings layout. When the intruder inevitably got into the building they would be met with a wall, forcing them to turn to the right and walk a few paces before the building opened out. While it blocked Jesse from seeing who was at the door, it also gave him the advantage of seeing the whole room first.

The final kick appeared to do the trick, the door swinging open with a bang, no doubt sending dust and sand spiralling up into the air. Jesse tensed, fingers gently brushing over the handle of his gun for reassurance as he heard heavy boots grow closer, and closer. Firing in the room would be a last resort, the noise would draw too much attention so if he was going to take out this individual he would need to be quiet and efficient.

O O O O

The silhouette entered the room, pausing immediately and looking to the fire. Jesse bit hard on the inside of his cheek, slightly adjusting his position in the shadows and biding his time. The figure was hard to make out properly but looked well built. Standing at about 5'11, Jesse relished the fact he would have the height advantage figure, but in the dark, he couldn't make out a gender, let alone if they were wearing any armour. As the figure reached for something on their hip Jesse, fearing a weapon, moved to intercept, boots slipping slightly on the sand and making a small noise as he hurried to close the gap.

Whirling around at the noise, the figure dropped a bag from their shoulder, using momentum from their turn along with their elbow to crash it into the side of Jesse's face, the action knocking him off balance, and sideward into the wall with a heavy thud. Undeterred, the cowboy quickly shoved himself off the wall and rugby tackled the figure before it could step backwards. The pair hit the ground in a tangle of limbs, wrestling furiously against each other, wayward fists and limbs colliding with torsos and heads before the cowboy finally pinned the figure beneath him. Breathing heavily Jesse drew his fist back to deliver the knockout blow, only to receive a sharp blow to his side followed by a pulse of electricity. The muscles in his body locked in placed, allowing his assailant to easily push him off into the sand where he lay on his back, body quivering as the electricity worked its way out of his body.

A grunt of pain from his assailant as they pushed themselves to their feet had Jesse roll his gaze to the figure in alarm, his teeth gritting as he willed his body to move with little more than a twitch of his fingers to show from it. His brow settled into a furious frown, his breathing ragged and accompanied with struggled grunts of annoyance as the figure pulled something from their hip and slowly limped over with a hand around their middle, aiming the large object at his head before clicking a button, a bright light suddenly filling the cowboys vision.

A torch?

Jesse slowly opened his eyes, the barrage of light from the torch that had been shone in his eyes shifting away before his assailant exhaled in a laugh.

 **"Dammit, I nearly killed you!"**

A female voice. Jesse stared up in disbelief before the light moved to illuminate the Egyptian woman with jet black hair standing above him with a tired smile on her face and a gash on her cheek.

Fareeha?

Her name tried to pass his lips but instead a garbled noise emitted from him as his muscles still reacted to the electric shock he'd received.

 **"Oh…I'm so sorry Jesse"** she crouched down beside him, setting the torch down so they were both in it's light before she saw about slipping her hand under his spine and heaving him into a sitting position. **"You startled me and I didn't know who you were in the dark"** she winced, touching at her cheek **"You certainly didn't hold back though"** glancing around briefly she hooked her hands under his arms and dragged the cowboy to the wall, leaning him against it before moving to close the door and setting up a few lanterns in the room.

O O O O

Jesse could do nothing but watch and wait as muscles relaxed and restored his mobility. He could feel blood drying on the side of his head, and bruising on his torso and limbs, the dull ache something he quickly grew accustomed to as he observed Fareeha relighting the camp fire. Fortunately, his jaw relaxed first, which allowed him to question the young Amari's presence.

 **"Not that I ain't happy t'see ya, but what the hell are ya doin' here?"** he asked, wincing briefly and giving his fingers a test wiggle.

 **"I work with Helix Security"** she saw the alarm in Jesse's eyes and waved off his concern **"They didn't send me though, Winston dropped me a message and mentioned you were surveying the area so I thought I'd check in with you, bring you some more supplies"** her hand thumbed over her shoulder towards her bag, a smile on her features **"Winston said he was going to tell you I was stopping by, I take it you didn't get the message?"**

Jesse slowly shook his head, the stiffness in the motion causing him a brief bout of pain. **"Signal is pretty poor here, So I reck'n the message got lost in static"** he moved his hands slightly, testing their function and not appearing too pleased by the effort it took to raise his arms, let alone keep them there. **"The sam heck did you hit me with?"** he asked, watching as the young Egyptian tugged a small stick into view.

 **"Helix edition, stun rod. You'll be fine in an hour or two, just try not to push yourself. I am sorry though Jesse, if I'd known it was you I would have never-"**

 **"-s'alright darlin, ye were jus' protectin' yerself. Certainly, gave me a run for my money though** " he winced before resting his head against the wall with a gentle thump and a slow exhale. **"So, ye' jus' droppin' off supplies?"** his tone was suspicious, Winston knew he had more than enough supplies to last so why would he permit Fareeha visiting to deliver more?

 **"Mmmhm, but they're not the supplies you're thinking of"** pushing herself to her feet Fareeha retrieved her bag, gently setting it down in front of Jesse and unzipping it. Her eyes flashed up at him with a glint of excitement before she pulled out a series of plastic Tupperware boxes and set them down, Jesse staring at the contents.

 **"Is that-?"**

 **"Christmas dinner, with all the trimmings? Yeah"** plucking out some tinsel from the bag she hesitated before gently looping it around the cowboy's hat before she moved to sit beside him, her back up against the wall and an extra piece of tinsel in her hands. **"Christmas is the time to spend with family and friends, no matter where they are in the world"**

Jesse scowled briefly before exhaling gently **"So ye' came all the way out here to keep this old cowboy company on Christmas?"** he asked.

 **"No. I came out here to keep one of my best friend's company on Christmas because he's like family to me and I didn't want him spending it alone again after all these years apart…"** her gaze didn't lift from her lap, mindlessly twirling the tinsel around her fingers.

A long silence enveloped the room.

 **"Well…"** he paused for a moment, still unsure how to react or respond to the woman **"I'd sure hate t'see all this good food go to waste"** Jesse shifted slightly, slowly looping his arm around the young Amari, tugging her against his side, his southern drawl a gentle mumble. Fareeha slowly began to relax into his grip **"Jus' one question though…"**

 **"Yes, I brought some whiskey for you"**

Jesse smiled down at her, surprised she would still be able to read him like a book after all this time and noticed she was resting her eyes while leant against him. Chocolate hues softened at the scene, a scene he could recall happening in his Blackwatch days with a much younger Fareeha at his side.

 **"Ye' know I'm sorry fer dissapearin' on ya right?"** the sudden apology caught the cowboy off guard, the sentence all but blurting past his lips without so much as a second thought, the young Amari pulling away from his touch in response, keeping her back to him.

 **"You all but vanished from existence for so many years. It hurt me a lot, especially after losing mom so suddenly. But…"** she glanced back at him **"I'd say we're about even after the stun rod, wouldn't you?"** a smile pulled at her features.

Jesse nodded gently, allowing her to relax back into his side again, his arm resting around her once again. **"I'd say we're more than even darlin', and once I can feel my legs again what do ya say to heatin' up some of that grub?"** the young woman nodded gently in agreement before Athena pinged gently to inform them that the midnight hour had arrived.

 **"Merry Christmas Jesse"**

 **"Merry Christmas"**

The pair sat in silence, enjoying being each other's presence before Jesse let his head fall back against the wall, heavy lids closing as he became aware that the young Amari leaning against him had also fallen asleep. Christmas dinner could wait.


End file.
